Thousands erupt with applause as Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center, takes the stage for the Grand Opening of the new Church of Scientology Ventura—a milestone for the religion’s meteoric growth in the Golden State.

Mr. Miscavige leads the dedication ceremony in Ventura County, Southern California, for a new Scientology Church to serve the hundreds of thousands who call these shores home.

Just minutes from Downtown Ventura and Surfers Point, an exuberant audience joins Mr. Miscavige to inaugurate the 12th Ideal Church of Scientology in California.

Mr. Miscavige officially dedicates the region’s new Church of Scientology alongside prominent Scientologists who led the movement to make the Ventura Church a reality.

In testament to the Church’s spectacular expansion across California, thousands of Scientologists and guests gather to witness the historic hour when Ventura’s new beachside home sheds her inaugural ribbon.

With a sea of balloons, streamers and confetti, accompanied by a resounding chorus of applause carried on the Pacific breeze, the Church of Scientology Ventura opens her doors.

The magic of the moment is palpable as parishioners and guests celebrate a new home of spiritual freedom to serve Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.

The celebration kicks off with a medley of iconic surf tunes, until an exhilarating opening performance wraps with the cry, “Ventura!”

Mr. David Miscavige, the ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, tells the assembled that the wave for which they were waiting was now about to break: “A perfect wave. An endless wave. A wave anyone can ride to higher plateaus of ability and spiritual immortality. But, of course, not everyone knows where the shoreline ends and the ride of a lifetime begins—which is where you come in with an invitation to freedom and a lesson on how to catch that wave and never be the same again.”

“Your Way to Happiness volunteers have already been out with us all along Ormond Beach at our cleanups. From early morning until we’re done for the day, you are there taking care of our precious environment and helping it to thrive. And by your good example, you are bringing [The Way to Happiness] precepts alive on Ventura shores.… So not only will this new Church help preserve all that is good about our incredible home, it will be a beacon inspiring an even better environment, better neighbors and a better community for us all.” — COUNCILMAN STEVEN GAMA, FROM THE CITY OF PORT HUENEME, VENTURA COUNTY

“Your film The Truth About Drugs provides the vision and guidance people need in 2020. It gets in your face and tells it like it is. That’s precisely why it works. And why, with the Truth About Drugs program here in our Tri-County high schools, students are already saying, ‘I would never have smoked marijuana if I had seen this film, and I’m not going to do it again.’ There are just no children to waste. So, one by one, you are helping realize an altogether new premise. You are helping shepherd our kids so no child will ever go down the path of taking drugs.” — SHARON BYRNE, ADVISOR TO THE 4TH DISTRICT OF SANTA BARBARA COUNTY

“When you’re dealing with a crisis of this magnitude [the Ventura fires], you need strong community and church support. And the Volunteer Ministers were there. You were on the ground in Ventura City. You were there in Ojai. You were at the side of firemen and distributing masks in the streets. You stayed right to the very end. You are a crucial link in our disaster response chain. In fact, I’ve got you right on my speed dial.” — JOHN CHAVEZ, VOLUNTARY AGENCY LIAISON, FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (FEMA)

“No one champions human rights and freedom like you do.… Seventy-five years ago, the prophecy for the UN was that: Housed within its unique glass building, there was a power that would change the world. Well, you now have your own beautiful glass home here, where all the world will see you. Your presence is powerful. And so on the eve of your Founder’s Birthday Celebration, let us now say, ‘Yes, Mr. Hubbard, here is a house of eternal freedom to transform lives all across this Golden Coast!’” — BARBARA GAUGHEN-MULLER, PRESIDENT OF THE TRI-COUNTY UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION

Mr. David Miscavige with (left to right): Councilman Steven Gama, from the City of Port Hueneme, Ventura County; Sharon Byrne, Advisor to the 4th District of Santa Barbara County; John Chavez, Voluntary Agency Liaison, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Barbara Gaughen-Muller, President of the Tri-County United Nations Association.

Thousands flood inside to tour their new Church of Scientology Ventura.

Parishioners and guests alike take in every room and floor of the sprawling new Church.

Attendees revel in the experience as they tour their new Church of Scientology in the heart of Ventura.

Head north from Los Angeles up Highway 101 and, as expansive beaches sweep on by, the Church’s stunning new home rises like a king wave. The striking glass and wood exterior is seen by some 100,000 commuters every day. At 66,000 square feet, the expansive facility will allow the Church to multiply manyfold its outreach and services on this California coastline.

RECEPTION Open seven days a week, morning to night, the Church of Scientology Ventura Reception welcomes anyone wishing to obtain an introduction to Dianetics and Scientology.

SCIENTOLOGY PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTER The Public Information Center offers over 500 films, providing a complete introduction to every aspect of Dianetics and Scientology. It includes the beliefs and practices of the religion, a biographical presentation on the life and legacy of Founder L. Ron Hubbard, as well as the many humanitarian initiatives and community outreach programs the Church supports.

INTRODUCTORY SERVICES The Church of Scientology Ventura provides for the delivery of all Introductory Services. These include an entire array of Scientology Life Improvement Courses to help better any aspect of one’s life.

Among the many services available are evening and weekend Dianetics and Scientology seminars imparting an overview of the fundamental principles and their application for living.

DIANETICS & SCIENTOLOGY BOOKSTORE The Church of Scientology Ventura Bookstore makes available L. Ron Hubbard’s works on Dianetics and Scientology. In all, Mr. Hubbard’s legacy comprises tens of millions of published words in dozens of books and thousands of recorded lectures. Materials are available in 50 languages.

THE PURIFICATION CENTER Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard developed the Purification Program to free individuals from the mental and spiritual damage caused by drugs and toxins through a regimen of exercise, sauna and nutrition—all of which are provided for in the Purification Center. The mural pays homage to the vibrant ocean landscape along this stretch of the California coast.

HUBBARD GUIDANCE CENTER The Hubbard Guidance Center is where Scientologists receive one-on-one spiritual counseling, known as auditing. Just beyond the waiting room are dozens of auditing rooms.

Each one of the auditing rooms is ideally appointed to provide the calm, distraction-free setting requisite to achieving spiritual enlightenment.

THE ACADEMY The Academy is where Scientologists train to become auditors (spiritual counselors), capable of applying the technology of auditing to help others attain spiritual freedom. The Ventura Academy comprises multiple course rooms, each devoted to a different aspect of training.

THE PACIFIC COAST CAFÉ The Café welcomes visitors touring the Church and provides a gathering place for those attending the many scheduled events. It further provides for parishioners during breaks in their Scientology services.

THE CHAPEL The Chapel, lined with the Codes and Creed of the Church of Scientology, provides for all congregational ceremonies and services—including Sunday Services, Weddings and Naming Ceremonies. The Chapel also serves as an ideal venue for workshops, banquets and events, in the name of community collaboration for the betterment of Ventura.

THE OFFICE OF L. RON HUBBARD As is traditional in all Churches of Scientology, the Office of L. Ron Hubbard stands in honor of the religion’s Founder and symbolizes that this Church is true to his writings and ideals.

View Gallery

of

VENTURA, CALIFORNIA

SCIENTOLOGY IDEAL ORG RISES LIKE A LEGENDARY KING WAVE IN VENTURA’S SURF CITY

FEBRUARY 22, 2020

Seaside Grand Opening of stunning new Church on Highway 101 marks a milestone for Scientology’s spectacular growth across the Golden State.

Riding a never-ending swell of expansion for the religion, the Church of Scientology cut the ribbon on a new Ideal Organization (Org), Saturday, February 22, along this slice of surfing paradise. The first Ideal Org devoted to Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties opened before an exuberant audience of some 4,000 Scientologists and federal, state and local dignitaries. The dedication crests an ambitious period of growth through the past decade, only accelerating into 2020.

For the 100,000 daily commuters motoring on the 101, the glass-encased, new Church gleams as an unmistakable beacon of freedom just minutes from Downtown Ventura and Surfers Point, and but 500 yards from the San Buenaventura State Beach. At 66,000 square feet, the expansive and striking structure provides the capacity to immediately multiply manyfold the Church’s outreach and services to the hundreds of thousands who call this stretch of coastline home.

Mr. Miscavige leads the dedication ceremony in Ventura County, Southern California, for a new Scientology Church to serve the hundreds of thousands who call these shores home.

Stirred by a wafting Pacific breeze, a festive air of accomplishment pervaded the occasion. Leading the grand celebration was Mr. David Miscavige, the ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, who told the assembled that the wave for which they were waiting was now about to break: “A perfect wave. An endless wave. A wave anyone can ride to higher plateaus of ability and spiritual immortality. But, of course, not everyone knows where the shoreline ends and the ride of a lifetime begins—which is where you come in with an invitation to freedom and a lesson on how to catch that wave and never be the same again.”

In recognition of Ventura and Santa Barbara’s longstanding partnership with Church-sponsored social betterment and humanitarian programs, a series of luminaries from Port Hueneme to Montecito converged to lend a passionate welcome at the new Ideal Org’s inauguration.

Joining the Scientology parishioners and Church officials were Councilman Steven Gama, from the City of Port Hueneme, Ventura County; Sharon Byrne, Advisor to the 4th District of Santa Barbara County; John Chavez, Voluntary Agency Liaison, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); and Barbara Gaughen-Muller, President of the Tri-County United Nations Association.

In highlighting the Church’s work toward environmental responsibility, Councilman Gama described L. Ron Hubbard’s nonreligious moral guide, The Way to Happiness, as having “the power to get people into action.” He went on to state: “Your Way to Happiness volunteers have already been out with us all along Ormond Beach at our cleanups. From early morning until we’re done for the day, you are there taking care of our precious environment and helping it to thrive.… So not only will this new Church help preserve all that is good about our incredible home, it will be a beacon inspiring an even better environment, better neighbors and a better community for us all.”

Sharon Byrne of Santa Barbara County praised the impact regional Scientology-sponsored drug education has had on raising awareness and ultimately saving young lives. “Your film The Truth About Drugs provides the vision and guidance people need in 2020,” she said. “It gets in your face and tells it like it is. That’s precisely why it works. And why, with the Truth About Drugs program here in our Tri-County high schools, students are already saying, ‘I would never have smoked marijuana if I had seen this film, and I’m not going to do it again.’… So, one by one, you are helping realize an altogether new premise. You are helping shepherd our kids so no child will ever go down the path of taking drugs.”

John Chavez, Voluntary Agency Liaison for FEMA, acknowledged the many Scientology Volunteer Ministers in the audience, honoring their dedication to local recovery efforts in the wake of the Ventura fires. “When you’re dealing with a crisis of this magnitude,” he stated, “you need strong community and church support. And the Volunteer Ministers were there. You were on the ground in Ventura City. You were there in Ojai. You were at the side of firemen and distributing masks in the streets. You stayed right to the very end. You are a crucial link in our disaster response chain. In fact, I’ve got you right on my speed dial!”

No less laudatory was Barbara Gaughen-Muller of the Tri-County United Nations Association citing the Church’s tireless dedication to human rights education, inspiring forums and workshops through area charter schools and nonprofits. In light of Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard’s enduring commitment to upholding human rights, Ms. Gaughen-Muller proclaimed: “Seventy-five years ago, the prophecy for the UN was that: Housed within its unique glass building, there was a power that would change the world. Well, you now have your own beautiful glass home here, where all the world will see you. Your presence is powerful. And so on the eve of your Founder’s Birthday Celebration, let us now say, ‘Yes, Mr. Hubbard, here is a house of eternal freedom to transform lives all across this Golden Coast!’”

The striking new facility provides the region with an introduction to Dianetics and Scientology, beginning with the Public Information Center. Its displays, containing more than 500 films, present the beliefs and practices of the Scientology religion and the life and legacy of Founder L. Ron Hubbard. The Information Center also offers a detailed overview of the many Church-sponsored humanitarian programs—including a worldwide human rights education initiative, far-reaching drug education, prevention and rehabilitation programs; a global network of literacy and learning centers; and the Scientology Volunteer Minister program, which has become one of the world’s largest independent relief forces. The Center is open morning to night for visitors to tour at their leisure and return as often as they wish.

The Church’s Chapel provides for Scientology congregational gatherings, including Sunday Services, Weddings and Naming Ceremonies—as well as a host of events open to members of all faiths in the name of community collaboration. The new Church further includes multiple seminar rooms and classrooms, in addition to dozens of rooms for Scientology auditing (spiritual counseling).

Ideal Church Organizations (Ideal Orgs) realize the fulfillment of Founder L. Ron Hubbard’s vision for the religion. They not only provide the ideal facilities to service Scientologists on their ascent to greater states of spiritual awareness and freedom, but are also designed to serve as a home for the entire community and a meeting ground for cooperative efforts to uplift citizens of all denominations.

To disseminate Scientology’s message still further and answer the overwhelming interest about the religion, the Church launched its own satellite TV channel, Scientology Network, on DIRECTV Channel 320, which also live streams at scientology.tv, as well as on multiple platforms in 17 languages across 24 time zones.